Saturday, January 22, 2011

Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing Workshop

Disperse Dyes - Five Day Workshop at the Wrapt in Rocky CQ Textile Forum

Tutor: Marie-Therese Wisniowski

PreambleThis blogspot exhibits many of my students outputs from a variety of workshops. There are one, two and five day workshops as well as workshops that have a different focus. Nevertheless, it always surprises me how much I learn from my students and how enthusiastic they are to learn and so for your convenience, I have listed the workshop posts below.

Disperse Dye InformationThis class of dyestuffs was developed for cellulose acetate around 1920 and was called “acetate dyes”. It did not get the name “disperse dyes’ until 1953 when the use of synthetic fabric increased. Commercial use of the transfer printing technique began in 1968 when transfer paper began being manufactured. Today many commercial textiles are printed using this technique.

Disperse dyes are not soluble in water but dissolve in the synthetic fiber. Penetration into the fiber is achieved by dyeing at a high temperature under pressure. Synthetic fabrics can only be dyed with disperse dyes. Today, disperse dyes are used to dye hydrophobic (water repelling) fabrics such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and acetate rayon. The transfer brands of disperse dyes are based on the ability of disperse dyes to sublimate. Under heat, they evaporate directly from solid state and move from one material to another. This reaction produces fastness properties that are permanent in synthetic fibres. Disperse dyes are lightfast, washfast and produce strong hues on synthetics. The dyes are transparent (printing a blue area over a yellow will produce green) and so lend themselves to layering and overprinting to build up rich and complex surfaces as well as create delicate and subtle imagery. The dyes can be intermixed to create your own suite of palette colors.

Transfer Printing"In transfer printing, disperse dyes are first painted, screened, stamped, or stencilled on plain paper and dried. The paper is then placed face down against a synthetic fabric and dry heat is applied. The dye becomes a vapor, moves from the paper into the fabric and resolidifies. The print is deposited on only one side of the fabric leaving the other side the original colour. Transfer printing does not affect the hand of the fabric and is wash fast." (Holly Brackmann, The Surface Designer's Handbook, Interweave Press, 2006).

Five-Day Workshop SynopsisThis workshop was organized by the "Wrapt in Rocky" Central Queensland Textile Forum, Rockhampton, Queensland. It was held at the Rockhampton Girls Grammar School Campus as part of the 'Wrapt in Rocky' Biennial Textile Forum/Conference Program, 25th June - 1st July 2010.

The workshop participants created unique, one-of-a-kind ArtCloth fabrics of great depth and complexity employing the dye sublimation process using disperse dyes on polyester and synthetic fibres. A fun and exciting class where participants created their own custom dyed fabric using disperse dyes via direct imaging, experimental and layering exercises. They applied painted, textured, printed imagery onto papers with the dyes and then transfer printed them to polyester and blended synthetic fabrics to create a suite of colour and pattern studies via an iron or heat press.

The five-day workshop was an introduction to the dye sublimation process (transfer printing) which developed throughout the week long program. Participants were introduced to basic imaging processes and advanced to mastering highly complex multiple imaging and multiple overprinting relationships and techniques. One such technique they employed was the tutors signature flora technique which she has termed as “MultiSperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS)”. See participants outputs below.

Published in Studio La Primitive Arts Zine

Marie-Therese was invited by the editor of Studio La Primitive Arts Zine, Robyn Werkhoven, to be a 'Feature Artist' in the Arts Zine which features articles and interviews with national and international visual artists, poets and writers and glimpses into their world of art and their creative processes. The article, which features Marie-Therese’s art practice and career is titled, ' A Mapping of Anthropogenic Change' has been published in the May 2018 Issue 25 of the Studio La Primitive Arts Zine (the article appears on page 86). Click on the Image to get to the article.

2018 CrossXpollinatioN Exhibition - Journey's

Marie-Therese has been invited to be a 'Feature Artist' at the '2018 CrossXpollinatioN' exhibition which is themed 'Journey's'. Her ArtCloth Installation 'Timelines: An Environmental Journey' will be exhibited at the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre, Colac, Victoria from the 7th - 29th July 2018. The installation will feature works employing her signature MultiSperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique on synthetic fibres.Click on the image to see how the Gondwana II was created.

Art Quill Studio @ Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair.

2018 Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, from the 20th – 24th June.Art Quill Studio can be found at stand no. G29_LP1 where my unique and contemporary hand dyed, hand painted and hand printed ArtCloth fabric lengths, fat quarters, fabric samplers and scarves will be available as well as my one-off/limited edition digitally designed ArtCloth fabric lengths.Click on the image to view some of my fabric lengths and the techniques used to make them.

I have uploaded a new Glossary on my blogspot.The Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms is highly focused, containing definitions and terms pertinent to the specific categories in the title. Click on the image to access it!

About Me

I work full time as a studio artist, researcher, author, curator, speaker and tutor. I am also the Director of Art Quill Studio, The Education Division of Art Quill & Co. Pty. Ltd. at Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia. I teach as a casual lecturer at The University of Newcastle (Australia) and I am the former co-editor of Textile Fibre Forum art magazine.

Employing my signature techniques I specialize in the area of ArtCloth, artist printmaker books and limited edition prints.

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My Scarves @ The Australian Craft Awards

My unique, hand dyed and printed silk rayon velvet and pashmina scarves are available for purchase. To purchase a scarf please contact - studio@artquill.com.au.Click on the image above to see my velvet ArtCloth scarves.

Welcome to Art Quill Studio

Art Quill Studio is a trademark of Art Quill & Co P/L, which is an Australian Company with no subsidiaries outside of Australia.

This blog will be dedicated to arousing world wide interest in: (a) using the medium of cloth to create a work of art; (b) promoting works on paper; (c) exploring concepts that are the basis of my current artworks; (d) offering opinions on art issues; (e) providing art resources to the public at large.